Rent Man in the Shadow (1957)

Cracking stuff - Man in the Shadow review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Terrific modern western which opens with a Mexican ranch hand beaten to death by the Boss’s henchmen. This is witnesssed by an older hand who reports it to the local sheriff Ben Sadler (Chandler). Most people are dismissive as the victim was a wetback but Ben is a man with principles and this brings him into conflict with the local ranches boss Renchler ( a suitibly menancing Orsen Welles). He is the most powerful man in the county and has all the important townspeople in his back pocket. Ben is warned off but this just makes him more determined to get to the truth especially when he discovers that Renchler’s daughter was sweet on the murdered boy. Ben finds himself up against both Renchler and most of the town so goes into full on Gary Copper mode. The warnings get more and more dangerous and he soon finds that his own life is on the line. It fits well into a lot of films of the period dealing with small town corruption and racism with Chandler solid in the part and Welles believing there is nothing he can’t get away with - 4/5